Viral Portal in Philadelphia spreading love from "city of firsts" worldwide
The viral Portal art installation in Philadelphia's LOVE Park has helped connect cities across the globe. One of the people behind the Portal is a Philadelphia resident spreading love beyond borders.
Joe Callahan is a core team member of Portal.org, the organization behind the viral art installation. The Portal is helping spread love by making connections around the world through art and technology.
"It is truly like passing someone on the street and saying good morning," Callahan said. "It's like, 'Wow,' that person just responded to me with a positive human gesture to show that we are all connected and we are all one."
So far, Portals.org has built and installed seven portals, including ones in Ireland, Lithuania and Poland.
Philadelphia's Portal was first installed in New York City, where it spent several months before making its way to the City of Brotherly Love in October.
"I'm proud of Philadelphia, a city of firsts," Callahan said. "In 1776, the population of Philadelphia was 40,000 people. It's the second largest city outside of London in the entire colonies. And it's the people of Philadelphia that set the tone for the democracy which spread through the world."
Walking by the Portal without stopping to give it a quick look is tough. It is like a "Philly Thing."
"Somebody new walked into the neighborhood. You stopped them," Callahan said. "You looked at them. Are you a friend? Are you a foe? That's part of Philly."